Portland Perfection
Portland, Oregon: sustainable, stylish, full of energy and the perfect place to stay for a cool city break
When your family decides to up sticks and move almost 5000 miles away to the Pacific Northwest, you can either take it personally and sulk or use it as an excuse to book that flight asap.
My sister and I take the latter option and just before Thanksgiving arrive at Heathrow for a flight to Portland, starting off in style in the No1 One Lounge. With table service, a small but tasty winter menu selection, and chilled white wine on offer, we are almost disappointed that our flight isn’t delayed. There’s something wonderfully effortless about arriving in Portland these days, and handily British Airways is now offering direct flights from Heathrow to Portland. The newly redesigned PDX airport, all warm wood and natural light, feels less like a terminal and more like a luxury Pacific Northwest mall. Thanks to Oregon’s “street pricing” you won’t pay extra for last-minute gifts or snacks, and with no sales tax statewide, your money goes even further. The terminal is full of live trees, plants, and miles of timber roofing sourced from Indigenous and local producers. Recently named the #1 airport in the US by The Washington Post, PDX is one of the most welcoming, efficient airports you’ll ever pass through, and it’s an auspicious start to our first time in Portland.
In fact, that feeling follows us all the way to our base for the trip: Cascada, tucked in the heart of the Alberta Arts District. From the moment we check in, it feels like a hotel created for travellers who want comfort without pretension, and sustainability that’s genuine, rather than simply stated. Energy efficiency, locally sourced materials, thoughtful water-use initiatives, everything is built around the idea that travel can be both indulgent and responsible. And somehow, Cascada blends that ethos with a luxurious warmth. The rooms are serene and minimalist in the most inviting way: soft natural textures contrasting with hi-tech light and curtain settings. Although full disclosure, it takes us a few goes to work it all out! We are in a two bedroom ‘apartment’ – with a full size fridge-freezer, dishwasher, washing machine and tumble-dryer, it really is a home from home. Apparently these rooms are very popular with musicians and actors, and if I was a rock ‘n’ roller on tour, I’d be staying here.
Downstairs, the hotel’s restaurant Terra Mae becomes an instant favourite. Led by Executive Chef Megan Sky and Executive Chef de Cuisine Jules Boyd, their combined culinary lineage blends Portuguese soul with Japanese precision. Using local products from the Pacific Northwest, they craft food that is thoughtful, expressive, and above all, absolutely delicious. All served by friendly, knowledgeable waiting staff, the restaurant has a warm vibe that isn’t always evident in hotel restaurants.
Wonderfully warm vibe with fresh food, cooked to perfection
And then there are the days spent exploring further afield. We jump in Ubers as it’s the quickest way to get around the compact city. Using the Travel Portland’s app, ‘Near Me Now’, we are helpfully directed to local food carts, cafés and restaurants nearby, and we find coffee before heading to The Portland Japanese Gardens. It is genuinely breathtaking – serene and perfectly designed. Every turn leads to another moment of calm beauty: moss-covered stones, quiet ponds, delicate wooden bridges. It’s the kind of place that lingers with you long after you leave. The city’s newly developed art museum is also worth the hype. Thoughtful, modern, grounded in the region’s history while still being forward-looking – it’s exactly the sort of cultural space you want in a city like this. Feeling inspired, we head to the recently renovated Portland Art Museum to admire the works of art on display. All this culture gives us an appetite, so after a swing by the biggest bookshop in the world, Powells, we dine in style from Voodoo Doughnuts!
Cascada’s glowing jewel in the crown is the thermal spa. Slipping into warm mineral water after a day of exploring a city that seems designed for walking, it’s peaceful, restorative, and blissfully quiet. With an outdoor jacuzzi and sauna, or the silent sanctuary below, it really is a little piece of heaven. But what truly elevates the stay has to be the surrounding neighbourhood. Alberta is, in my view, the perfect place to experience Portland. It’s vibrant and creative without being chaotic; lively but never overwhelming. The murals alone could fill a gallery, the independent shops feel genuinely independent, and there’s a sense that you’re in a community rather than a tourist zone. And the people – warm, open, quick to chat, and even quicker to recommend their favourite spot around the corner.
One of these being Radio Room, a converted service station turned bar, it’s a glorious mash-up of retro charm and Portland soul – cocktails, friendly staff, great diner-style food and a buzzing atmosphere that feels like meeting old friends. Just down the street, sister bar Keys Lounge offers its own twist: mid-century cool, great drinks, vinyl or live music playing in the background. Both are the kind of spots you wander into “for one drink” and leave far later having made new friends. Of course, no stay in Alberta is complete without brunch at Tin Shed Garden Cafe. Friendly, generous, and delicious, it captures everything Portland does best: unfussy food, big flavours, and an atmosphere that makes you wish it were your local.
For dinner one night, we head to Eem, which everyone has raved about – and rightly so. Thai flavours meet smoky BBQ, all wrapped in a lively, playful energy that’s uniquely Portland. It’s bold, unexpected, and absolutely delicious. On another evening, we go for fresh pasta at Gumba, again another super-friendly, very cool family-run restaurant that started life as a food cart before becoming bricks and mortar, with interesting twists on traditional pasta dishes. And no trip would be complete without wandering through the Hawthorne area. A little bohemian, a little vintage, a lot ‘witchy’ and endlessly interesting – perfect for browsing, coffee-drinking, people-watching, and just soaking up the city’s personality.
Looking back, Portland feels like a place that chooses you as much as you choose it. A city of neighbourhoods that each offer something different yet somehow fit together perfectly. And staying in Alberta, with its energy, creativity and friendliness, makes the whole experience richer. Cascada is the ideal home for it all: sustainable, stylish, warm, and deeply restful. Great food, a wonderful spa, and a neighbourhood that makes every walk feel like part of the adventure. If you want an authentic, welcoming, quietly magical slice of Portland, this is exactly where you want to be.
Previously published on fabricmagazine.co.uk
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